Windows Imaging Configuration and Designer

Once we launch the application, we see in the description on the start screen that it is used to “Build Provisioning packages, customize and build Windows Client and Windows Mobile images.”

WICD – Start Screen

Let’s create a New Project. Under the Start heading, click the New Project link. We are presented with the New Project dialog, where we need to provide a Project Name, Location, and an optional Description.

WICD – New Project Dialog

Next, we need to choose a Workflow.

Per the dialog, a Provisioning Package is used to “build a customization package that targets a windows edition. You may then use this package to build a Windows image, or customize an existing one.”

An Imaging workflow is used to “create and build a new image. You can customize it by adding drivers, packages, apps, languages, settings, and more.”

WICD – New Project – Workflow

Let’s start with a Provisioning Package.

Provisioning Package Workflow

We next need to select the Windows Edition that we are targeting.

NOTE: If you de-select the ‘All Windows Editions’ option, then the ‘Windows Professional’ option is selected by default.

WICD – New Project – Provisioning Workflow – Windows Edition

After you click Finish, the project is loaded, ready for customization.

WICD – New Project – Provisioning Workflow – Project

Imaging Workflow

On the Choose Workflow screen, if you chose Imaging and clicked Next, you now have to choose the Imaging Methodology to use.

Since I don’t have any OS kits installed, the only option I currently have is “Windows Desktop WIM-based image”

WICD – New Project – Imaging Workflow – Imaging Methodology

If you select the “Windows Desktop WIM-based image” option, on the next screen you need to specify where that .WIM file is located.

WICD – New Project – Imaging Workflow – Select Image

Once you have pointed to the location of the Install.WIM file, the dialog will display the WIM and Image information.

WICD – New Project – Imaging Workflow – Image (Selected)

In my case, I encountered an error because I didn’t reference a “Windows Technical Preciew” image.

WICD – New Project – Imaging Workflow – Error

So I tried it with the Windows Server 2016 Technical Preview WIM,

After you click Finish, the project is loaded, ready for customization.

WICD – New Project – Imaging Workflow – Project

Imaging Workflow – Create Production/Clean Install/Upgrade Media

This is the same process for each of the option in the ‘Create‘ menu, whether you are creating Production Media, Clean Install Media, or Upgrade Media.

WICD – Create Media Menu

Once you have finished your customizations to the Image based project, you can now select the Create menu and choose ‘Create Production Media‘. From the Build – Select Image Format screen, you can choose between WIM and FFU formats, then click Next.